Hangzhou Xiao Long Tang Bao is the off-Yongkang xiaolongbao counter for Taipei locals near CKS Memorial Hall MRT. Bib Gourmand, crab-roe xiaolongbao.
Signature dishes: Crab-roe xiaolongbao, Sheng jian bao
Must order: Crab-roe xiaolongbao, pan-fried sheng jian bao.
Tip: Open 10:30 to 21:00 daily. Walk-in only; weekday queues shorter.
Address: No. 19, Hangzhou South Road, Section 2, Zhongzheng District, Taipei City 100
Rong Rong Yuan is Taipei's 1949-wave Sichuan-Hunan counter that fills its dining room every lunch. Bib Gourmand, mapo tofu the canonical version.
Signature: Mapo tofu, Dan dan noodles
Order: Mapo tofu, dry-fried green beans, dan dan noodles.
Tip: Open 11:30 to 14:00 and 17:00 to 21:00 daily. Walk-ins only.
Din Tai Fung's Xinyi Road original counter in Taipei is the xiaolongbao queue that turned a 1958 oil shop into a global chain. Bib Gourmand listed.
Signature: Xiaolongbao, Niu rou mian, Cucumber starter
Order: Ten-pleat pork xiaolongbao, niu rou mian, cucumber starter.
Tip: Take the queue ticket on arrival and shop Yongkang Street while you wait.
Rong Rong Yuan is Taipei's 1949-wave Sichuan-Hunan counter that fills its dining room every lunch. Bib Gourmand, mapo tofu the canonical version.
Signature: Mapo tofu, Dan dan noodles
Order: Mapo tofu, dry-fried green beans, dan dan noodles.
Tip: Open 11:30 to 14:00 and 17:00 to 21:00 daily. Walk-ins only.
Yang Shin opened 2013 as Taipei's first vegetarian dim-sum tea house. An all-meat-free Cantonese menu beside Songjiang Nanjing MRT, three sittings daily.
Signature: Vegetarian xiaolongbao, Truffle dumpling
Order: Vegetarian xiaolongbao and the truffle dumpling.
Tip: Open 11:30 to 14:30, 14:30 to 16:30 and 17:30 to 21:30. Reserve via Klook.
Yong He Soya Milk King in Da'an is Taipei's most famous of the 24-hour soy-milk breakfast counters. Salty soy milk, fried youtiao, egg pancake rolls.
Signature: Hot soy milk, Youtiao, Egg pancake
Order: Salty soy milk with youtiao dunked in, plus a sesame shaobing.
Tip: Open 24 hours daily. Cash and mobile pay; queues short before 07:00.
Ay-Chung's standing-counter mianxian in Ximending has been ladling oyster-and-pork thin-rice-noodle soup since 1975. Eaten kerbside, two bowls deep.
Signature: Oyster and pork mianxian, Pickled chilli, Garlic vinegar
Order: Large bowl with extra chilli sauce and black vinegar.
Tip: Open Mon to Thu 10:00 to 22:30, Fri to Sun 10:00 to 23:00. Cash only.
Ming Jiang is a Jiangsu-Zhejiang kitchen in Taipei serving Shanghai-style home cooking, lion's-head meatballs and cold drunken chicken among the staples.
Signature: Lion's head meatball, Smoked fish, Drunken chicken
Order: Lion's head meatball, drunken chicken, smoked fish.
Tip: Open 11:30 to 14:00 and 17:00 to 21:00. Phone reservations.
